Any use of a needle requires careful handling and the exercise of caution. The main purpose for this, of course, is to protect against inadvertent “sticks” that can cause injury and may transmit diseases. Such care is particularly important when the needle is a hypodermic needle and is being used as an injection or aspiration needle in blood transfer, or blood collection procedures. In addition to careful handling of a needle, the safety of a needle procedure can be enhanced if the needle can be effectively covered whenever it is not being used.
Heretofore, several different types of safety systems have been disclosed which are designed for both ease of use and protection of the user. Typically, these systems incorporate automatic features that help minimize the manipulation required to effectively use a needle in a procedure. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,379,336 which issued to Asbaghi et al. for an invention entitled “Protective Device for Injection or Aspiration Needle”, and which is assigned to the same assignee as the present invention, discloses a system that automatically locks a guard over a needle after its use.
For the specific application wherein a needle system is used for blood collection, there is no need for the needle system to be somehow prepared before it is to be used. For instance, in a blood collection procedure there is no need to pre-fill a syringe with medication, or to otherwise uncover and prepare the needle prior to its use. Consequently, an aspiration needle is preferably ready for use at any time. After its use, however, when there is no longer a need for the needle, it is desirable for the needle to be permanently covered to protect the user, and others, from accidental sticks.
In light of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a safety system for a blood collection device that has an automatic, ready-to-activate, needle guard for covering and protecting the needle after its use. Another object of the present invention is to provide a safety system for a blood collection device that automatically locks the needle guard in place after the needle has been used. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a safety system for a blood collection device that is simple to manufacture, is easy to use and is comparatively cost effective.